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THE MOST COMMON ATTACK against Scripture centers upon the reliability of ancient manuscripts and their having been copied various times. Since we have only copies and not the original works of the apostles, how can we intelligently defend a book that is thousands of years old? Our defense of the Bible academically can begin with this observation: Not only are there no original copies existing of the following historic writers but the time-lapse between their originals and today’s versions is greater than the time-lapse between the New Testament and today. Observe:
1. Plato: Greek philosopher. His writings are found in a mere seven manuscripts, the oldest copy written twelve hundred years after his death.
2. Aristotle: Greek philosopher, student of Plato, tutor of Alexander the Great. Only five copies of any one work of Aristotle exist, and none of these were written less than fourteen hundred years after his death.
3. Herodotus: Greek historian. Only eight manuscripts survive; these were copied thirteen hundred years after the original.
4. Euripides: Greek playwright. Nine manuscripts exist, dated thirteen hundred years after they were first written.
One is immediately struck by the scarcity of copies of these authors and the vast time lapse between the originals and today’s existing reproductions. Yet no one questions their authenticity. Contrast the scarcity of works done by these secular writers to the abundance of New Testament copies. Bible scholar and professor, Dr. F. F. Bruce, verified the existence today of approximately 4,000 ancient Greek New Testaments. A second estimate places the number nearer 5,000. Observe:
1. Two complete manuscripts are dated less than three hundred years after the original.
2. Most of the New Testament is preserved in copies written less than two hundred years after Jesus.
3. Some existing books were composed about one hundred years after the originals.
4. Part of one book came within a generation of the first-century.
If four thousand ancient New Testament manuscripts survived the ravages of time, we are overwhelmed with this question: How large was the original number of other copies--now lost--that exploded upon the public in the first centuries? What was the excitement that pushed early believers into such a mass production of this book that it outraced the production of Aristotle, Plato, and others combined? The answer, of course, is that the book itself contained the miraculous presence and anointing of the Holy Spirit. Thousands of unknown readers were motivated to copy and preserve it. Our Bible's claim to authenticity is totally beyond the reach of all other writers of antiquity. As believers, we stand secure in its reliability.
Two of the ancient manuscripts, the Sinaitic and Vatican, do not contain the last eleven verses that appear in the King James Version of Mark's Gospel. These verses do appear in other ancient manuscripts and were quoted by Irenaeus and Hippolytus in the second century. The controversy involves not just the antiquity of the passage but also the contents. It says this:
These signs will follow those who believe; In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover (Mark 16:17-18).
A major complaint regards the statement: "They shall take up serpents." This passage has had two adverse effects: At the suggestion of handling snakes, some have rejected the passage altogether. Others, having determined to prove the passage literally, have suffered snakebite and died. Neither position is valid. The Greek verb airo, translated as "take up," means "to seize, bear away, cast out" in the sense of removing violently. The same word is used in John the Baptist's introduction of Jesus when he said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away (airo) the sin of the world!" (John 1:29.) Jesus never caressed or fondled sin; He snatched it away in angered fury. The expression, "They will take up serpents" is parallel to one Jesus made earlier, "I give you the authority to trample on serpents ..." Luke 10:19. In both instances, trampling upon and snatching away serpents are parabolic examples of believers exercising authority over demonic powers. The exercise of this power is the greatest verification of the New Testament’s reliability. The New Testament is in fact, a two-edged sword: It is reliable in its content and reliable in its record.
This article was taken from Charles Carrin's book, The Edge Of Glory, published by Creation House Press.
CHARLES CARRIN'S ministry spans the final half of the twentieth century. He was ordained in 1949 and in his youth traveled with men who preached in the 1800's. For the first twenty-seven years of his ministry, Charles was a hyper-Calvinist Baptist pastor and Presbyterian seminarian who denied the miraculous works of the Holy Spirit. Mid-way in his ministry that abruptly changed. Personal crisis forced him to acknowledge Scriptures he had previously ignored. It was a time of intense pain and testing. As a result of his submitting to God in that crisis, Charles emerged with an amazing anointing of the Holy Spirit. Today, his ministry centers upon the visible demonstration of the Spirit and imparting of His gifts.
Used by Permission: Charles Carrin Ministries http://www.charlescarrinministries.com
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